Ides of March
I do not own the Hobbit or LOTR in any way.
Elora stood next to her father and brother as the Lothlórien elves entered the Woodland Realm.
The elf leading the group of Elves was dressed in a simple tunic and leggings.
He dismounted his horse and walked up to Thranduil. He knelt in front of him.
"You may rise, March Warden", Thranduil said, "May I present my son and daughter, Legolas and Elora".
Legolas and the March Warden placed their fists over their hearts and bowed to each other.
When the elf came to Elora, he took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles.
This March Warden was different from the ellons in the Woodland Realm.
As the week went on, Elora learned that the March Warden's name was Haldir. Elora was wandering the corridors of the palace when she came upon the March Warden.
"Princess Elora", Haldir said bowing to her.
"Please, you don't need to call me princess", Elora told him.
"Where is your escort?" Haldir asked.
"I don't know how elleths are in Lothlórien, but here all ladies are taught how to defend themselves. Especially if they come from noble blood", she said.
"I did not mean to offend you, Lady Elora", he said.
"You didn't", Elora said softly.
Haldir stepped closer to her, which caused Elora to step backward. "Do you I frighten you?" the older elf asked her.
"No, March Warden", she said. She wondered if he could hear her frantic heartbeat.
He was so different from the male elves in the Woodland Realm. He was courteous and charming, but he didn't appear to be arrogant. Haldir tried stepping closer to Elora, but she was saved by a guard appearing.
"March Warden! The Prince has requested your assistance patrolling the borders", the guard said.
"Tell the Prince I will be with him in a moment", Haldir told the guard.
The guard disappeared down the corridor.
Haldir stepped closer to Elora, who was now leaning against the wall. He grasped her chin and watched her blue eyes widen. He placed a soft kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, her eyes were still. "Was that…?" he asked.
She only nodded.
"You're the most beautiful elleth I have ever laid eyes on", he told her. Her eyes snapped open.
"You're over a thousand years old", she said, "Surely you have seen many beautiful elleths".
"None of them have compared to you", he told her.
"You need to go", she said suddenly. She pulled away from him and fled the corridor.
She avoided the March Warden for the next few days. She heard a knock on her door.
"Elora", her brother's voice said.
She heard her door open.
He found her brushing and braiding her hair.
As she was putting in a braid, she wondered what she would look like with courting braids.
"Haldir has been asking about you", Legolas told her.
"Has he?" she asked as her heart fluttered.
"They leave in two days", he said, "I know you care for each other. Talk to Ada".
Later that day, Elora entered her father's study.
"Elora", he said.
"Ada, I need to talk to you about something", she said.
The two strolled to the garden and sat down on a bench.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Ada, I want to marry Haldir", she told him.
"And has he asked for your hand?" Thranduil asked her.
"No", she said softly, playing with her hair, "But I believe that he cares for me".
"As much as it will grieve me to lose you, you have my permission to go to Lothlórien when they return", Thranduil told her.
Elora hugged her father and said, "You'll never lose me Ada".
Thranduil stroked her hair.
"Will you tell me about when you met Naneth?" Elora asked him. She rarely ever asked about her. She was a very young elfling when her mother died. She didn't even remember what she looked like.
Thranduil spent the afternoon reminiscing with his daughter.
The day came for the Lothlórien elves, plus Elora, to return home.
"I trust you will protect and care for my daughter, March Warden", Thranduil said.
"With my life", Haldir promised him.
Elora hugged her father and brother and mounted her horse.
It would be the last time she set foot in the Greenwood.
The last time she would ever see her father.
Her love story was doomed to follow in her father's footsteps.
Haldir would die at the Battle of Helms Deep, leaving Elora alone to fade away.
I sincerely apologize for the depressing ending.